According to reports, the United States government will on Tuesday impose sanctions on the vessel “Fortuna” which was to complete the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Germany and Russia, which is expected to serve as a major blow against the pipeline.
In addition, German state regulator for maritime affairs (BSH) has suspended permission for the final stretch of pipeline to be installed in German waters.
German daily Handelsblatt reports that the US government will on Tuesday sanction the vessel “Fortuna” and the KVT-RUs company to which it belongs. The vessel was to complete the Nord Stream 2 project in Danish waters.
The sanctions are to be imposed under the auspices of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) and are aimed at making Germany rethink the project, which the US believes is a threat to the energy security of both Europe and the US.
Another blow for Nord Stream 2 came from the German federal regulator BSH, which had issued the permit for the completion of the pipeline in German waters, suspended the permit after an appeal from two environmental organizations.
The other Russian vessel, “Academic Chersky”, which could have been used to complete the pipeline, has returned to Kaliningrad, according to Marine Traffic.
The new setbacks for the Nord Stream 2 project follows the withdrawal of Swiss “Allseas” company from construction of the pipeline. Russia promised to step in and finish the pipeline on their own.
The Russian-German pipeline has been consistently opposed by Poland, the Baltic States and the US. The project is backed by Germany and Austria, but companies from more EU states are involved in some manner in the project.
